“Hey, Boar,” Vulture said as he lowered down to where Boar rested.

He landed on his belly and pecked once to wake the beast. Boar snorted, so Vulture pecked him harder. Boar grunted and opened his eyes. In panic, he rolled over hastily to let the scavenger know that there was still life in his bones.

“I’m not dead, I tell you, Vulture! I’m just resting!”

“I know. I was just coming to see if you’d heard?”

“Heard what?”

“What Asia is saying about you.”

“What’s Asia saying about me?”

“That you’re fat, stupid, ugly, and smelly.”

“Yeah, and?”

“He says that he’s fatter, stupider, uglier, and smellier. He’s been telling everyone.”

“Oh yeah? Well, you go and tell Asia that I’m the fattest, stupidest, ugliest, and smelliest beast to ever walk this land. You tell him that I’ll prove it, too. Tell him to meet me at the waterhole tomorrow, and I’ll teach him a thing or two.”

“Okay, Boar. I’ll let Asia know, but you’re gonna have to be really fat, stupid, ugly, and smelly. Asia is really good.”

“Just you wait, Vulture. I’ll do you proud.”

With that Vulture went off to find Asia. Boar made sure that he ate like a pig. When he got through, he could barely hobble over to wallow in all the muck, mud, and other smelly things that he could find. He was confident that he was stupid and ugly enough as it was. There’s no way to improve perfection.

Vulture found Asia walking along. He swooped down low, but not too low. Asia had a nasty temper, and it was no use getting clawed by this tiger to deliver his message.

“Hey, Asia, have you heard?” Vulture greeted him.

“What, Vulture?” Asia asked.

“About Boar. He said that you’re even fatter, stupider, uglier, and smellier than he is. He’s been telling everyone. And, he also has been telling everyone that you’re too scared to meet him, since he could easily beat you. He’s told everyone that you wouldn’t dare come to the waterhole tomorrow. Are you really scared of him?”

“Me? No! I’ll show that Boar who’s fat, stupid, ugly, and smelly!”

“Well, he says that you won’t. He says you’re too scared.”

“Well, I’ll show him.”

Vulture flew off quite happy indeed. There would be a feast tomorrow.

Boar was waiting near the waterhole for Asia the next morning. He saw that Vulture and a few of his buddies had come to watch. Vulture was a true friend, always rooting for the home team. He heard soft footsteps coming.

“You here, Boar?” a voice growled. That voice quickly materialized into a tiger. For a second, Boar was scared.

“You don’t think I’m going to fall for the old pretending to be a tiger trick, do you? You really are stupid. I’ll give you that. You’re just tying to scare me off because you know that I am better than you are. But look at you, you’re one pitiful excuse for a tiger.”

“I am, huh?”

“Yep, but at least you had the nerve to come.”

“Well, I hear that you wanted to meet me.”

“Yep, I needed to show you a thing or two.”

“Me, too,” Asia said as he protracted his claws.

Vulture leaned forward eagerly on the tree branch. It suddenly dawned on Boar that he had never thought to ask what kind of creature Asia was.

Moral: Beware of vultures that send you to fight against Asia.